Scientists Name Glow In The Dark Shark 'Ninja Lanternshark'

Trending News: This Newly Discovered Shark May Have The Best Animal Name Of All Time

Why Is This Important?

Because you can't argue with the name.

Long Story Short

Scientists have discovered a new shark and gave it a wicked name — Ninja Lanternshark.

Long Story

If sharks freak you out, you’re best to turn away now. Scientists from the Pacific Shark Research Center in Moss Landing, California, discovered a new species of shark that lurks in the deep and has black skin to stay camouflaged. The creepy new shark reported in the Journal of the Ocean Science Foundation lives at a depth of 1,000 metres off the Pacific Coast of Central America and is roughly 18 inches long. It can also glow in the dark.

Officially, the shark is named Etmopterus benchleyi, after “Jaws” author Peter Benchley, but researcher Vicky Vásquez wanted a more common name. She turned the job over to her four younger cousins, aged 8 to 14, who decided to give it the super awesome name "super ninja shark,” according to Hakai magazine.

Thinking that Super Ninja Shark, might be too awesome for its own good (she didn’t think her colleagues would approve), Vásquez settled on Ninja Lanternshark, which is probably more accurate considering the glow in the dark aspect.

Ninja lanternshark now joins the sea depths with the likes of The Goblin Shark, Cookiecutter Shark, and the deadly White Tip. See a full list of cool sharks, including pictures of the ninja lanternshark on Business Insider.

Own The Conversation

Ask The Big Question: Is this the best animal name ever?

Disrupt Your Feed: Super Ninja Shark is a way better name.

Drop This Fact: Proving how little we still know about the deep oceans, Dave Ebert, program director for the Pacific Shark Research Center says that “about 20 percent of all shark species have been discovered in just the last ten years.”